The five most important matches remaining for men’s volleyball


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USC celebrates after a point against No. 13 UC San Diego last Wednesday.
USC celebrates after a point against No. 13 UC San Diego last Wednesday. The Trojans won in a 3-set sweep. USC has an 8-2 record this season with wins over numerous ranked schools. (Blake Pak | Daily Trojan)

Despite a loss against No. 1 Long Beach State last Friday, No. 7 USC is sitting at 8-2 on the season, one of their best starts in program history.

With a veteran roster led by seniors Chris Hall, Cole Paxson, Brandon Browning and Sam Kobrine, the Trojans’ experience is paying off after one winning season in the last six years. USC’s resume is highlighted by wins over two top-five teams — the Beach and No. 4 Penn State.

If the Trojans want to make a push toward the NCAA tournament, however, a strong finish to the season is key. So, with that, let’s take a look at USC’s five most important remaining matches of the regular season.

At Home vs. No. 8 UC Santa Barbara, Feb. 9

The Trojans come back from their second defeat of the season, welcoming a dangerous UC Santa Barbara team to Galen Center Wednesday. The Gauchos are ranked No. 8 in the Coaches Poll.

After a poor start to the season, including two losses to USC, UCSB has won four straight games, all over Top 12 opponents. During this stretch, the Gauchos have knocked off No. 5 Pepperdine University twice, the Nittany Lions and No. 12 Ohio State. 

Three of those four wins came in four sets or fewer. UCSB comes into the game hot, setting up a matchup with the Trojans that could bring fireworks. 

Away vs. No. 13 Stanford, March 25 and 26

Stanford is a team on a bit of a different trajectory than UC Santa Barbara. After starting off the season 3-0, the Cardinal are 3-3 in their past six games. At the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Austin, Texas this past weekend, Stanford beat Fairleigh Dickinson University in three sets, before falling to no. 1 Hawaii in four sets.

Despite their recent skid, however, USC cannot overlook the Cardinal. They are ranked No. 13 in the Coaches Poll and have a win over UC Irvine on their resume. When you factor in the historical rivalry between the two schools, these two matches against the Cardinal will be critical for the Trojans.

At home vs. No. 11 Brigham Young University, March 4 and 5

When the No. 11 Cougars come to Galen Center for two matches in early March, it will almost certainly be a top ten matchup. BYU currently sit at 5-3 on the season, with all three of its losses coming against top ten teams.

In addition, the Cougars’ resume includes wins over No. 10 Ball State and the Anteaters twice. This should be a big-time series that will tell us a lot about the Trojans’ ability to compete with the country’s elite teams.

Away vs. No. 5 Pepperdine Feb. 23

Pepperdine might very well be the toughest opponent that the Trojans will face all season. Coming in at No. 5, the Waves are currently sitting at 4-2 on the season.

While this record might not appear worthy of their ranking, Pepperdine has looked absolutely dominant in each of its four wins, with all four coming in three sets. In addition, the Waves have only lost to one opponent all season, with both of their losses coming against a red hot Guachos team.

With four more matches against ranked opponents prior to their series with the Trojans, it will be interesting to see how the Waves look when these matches roll around later this month.

Home and away vs. UCLA March 31 and April 2

Not only are these two matches for Los Angeles volleyball bragging rights, but they will also likely have major NCAA tournament implications. The Bruins are ranked No. 2, just five spots ahead of the Trojans. 

With seven NCAA tournament berths up for grabs, these two late-season contests could easily serve as make-or-break matches for both programs.

Historically, UCLA has also been collegiate volleyball’s most dominant program, with 19 NCAA national championships, with its most recent in 2006. If USC wants to make it back to the top of college volleyball and claim the program’s fifth NCAA-recognized national championship (and first since 1990), they will almost certainly have to slay the dragon across town in order to do so.

These two contests will also be revenge matches for senior outside hitter/opposite hitter/setter Kobrine, who transferred from UCLA following the 2021 season. It will be interesting to see what sort of reception Kobrine gets from the Bruin faithful when he returns to Pauley Pavilion for the first time as a rival April 2.